Dipper-handle end



} INVENTORS TTORNE em 14 9 fi fifiu W. M. BAGER ET AL,

DIPPER HANDLE END Filed Dec. 2 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7/ 2 am M Bayer'Z/emer Zeb/ 07 BY 9 1 4r apt 14 1926. 1,599,630

w. M. BAGER ET AL DIPPER HANDLE END Filed Dec. 28

1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 mm M Bage W rner Z e i/man iglNvEzvroRs ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. i926.

hurrah STATES 1.59am PATENT OF'FH-QE.

DIPPER-HANDLE END.

-Application filed December 28, 1925. Serial No. 77,922.

This invention pertains to that type of excavating machine which has adipper-handle consisting of two parallel dipper-sticks, and relates tothe construction of that part of the dipper-handle which is adjacent thedipper; having reference to combining,' in one unitary casting, thehandle-end, the backbrace connection and the torsion-box; and havingmore particular reference to the employment of said construction inexcavating machinery designed for heavy duty,. such as rock work, miningoperations, etc.

In the usual construction the rack is merely secured by bolts transverseto the handle; and such bolts are therefore subject to extreme shear,owing to the sudden reversals of stress caused by the alternations ofthrust and retraction. In our invention the rack is so secured but wealso connect it to the handle-end casting by abutting flanges, whichwill directly transmit a thrust to the handle-end castin These flangesare further held in contact y means of tension bolts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a handle-endconstruction which shall distribute the load upon all componentsinstantly and without jars; and which will moreover distribute it to thevarious parts in a proportion commensurate with the strength of suchparts. To this end we have combined into one casting the handle-end,back-brace connections and torsionbox, and have at the same timeretained the natural resiliency of the usual combined woodand steelconstruction of the handle.

This has ensured the requisite degree of flexibility, while at the sametime means are provided for holding the component parts of the handle indefinite and permanent relation.

Another object of our invention is to provide a construction wherein therack, top bar and side bars of the dipper-sticks shall be very firmlysecured to the handle-end casting in such manner that the strains set upshall be minimized. We have therefore everywhere disposed theconnections to the handle-end in such a way as to secure the maximum ofstrength. Having provided abutting flan es as connection between therack and the iandle-end casting, we further connect the casting and thedipper-handle by prolonging theupper Plate of the dipperstick beyond theend 0 the wooden core, to face a flange on the handle-end casting, the

upper plate being bolted'to this flange by bolts sufficiently large totake up all shear. Our dipper handle is further rigidly secured to thehandle-end castingby a series of bolts, each passing vertically throughall parts of a dipper-stick and through a bottom flange on thehandle-end casting; and also by a very large bolt which passes throughboth dipper-sticks and through the casting at the center of thetorsion-box. We have thus provided a very rigid connectionbetween thetorsion-box and the dipper-sticks, which is independent of suchcontingencies as slight shrinkage of the wooden core of thedipper-stick.

A further object of our invention is to furnish a handle end that shallbe relatively light in consideration of the work it is required to do,in order that as littleas ossible of the power shall be expanded so elyfor actuation of the machine itself. In furtherance of this object, Wehave departed from the usual-construction of the torsionbox, in that ,wehave not made its dimension in the direction of the length of the handleequal to the parallel dimension of those parts of our casting whichenclose the ends of the dipper-sticks. We have. instead em- Eloyed atorsion-box whose form isthat one est adapted to withstand torsion,namely; cylindrical, with its-circular cross-section in a vertical planeparallel to the dipper-sticks. We have thereby very materially reducedthe amount of material necessary, and hence also the cost of productionand the power necessary to actuate the moving parts.

Our torsion-box is also reinforced against bending by internal flangeslongitudinally dis osed. These provide extra strength wit out anygreatincr'ease of weight. We have thus made a small cylindricaltorsionboxdo the work usually done by a much lar or rectangular one.

gur unitary casting also provides lugs for the back-brace connections,which lugs are integral with said casting. As the backbrace member is totransmit to the dipper both the forward thrust and the backward pull, itis alternately a compression member and a tension member; and the greatadvanta e of having the hack-brace connection direct y integral with thetorsion-box is obvious. The length of the of the back-brace isadjustable for the purpose of altering the angle of rake of the dipper.

Furthermore, as our handle-end construction allows the use, on thedipper-sticks, of the usual rolled steel top plate, side plates andbottom plate, bolted to the wooden core, we have thus retained all theadvantages of the usual flexible, cheap and simple construction, andhave added thereto the particular advantages of our form of handleend,and of our method of connecting it to the dipper sticks.

A further object of our invention is to provide an easily replaceablebumper of resilient material, mounted upon that portion of thehandle-end which is likely to be struck by a sheave when the dipper isplaced in extreme position. We have thereby reduced breakage of thesheave to a minimum.

From the foregoing it is evident that we have provided a novel anduseful handleend construction that is especially ada ted for very heavywork, such as rock wor or mining; one which is not unwieldy in size orof excessive weight, while at the same time retaining all the necessarystrength;

that we have provided a construction which,

though compact and sturdy, will resist torsion and bending stresses, andwill therefore require only a minimum of repair and replacement; andthat, furthermore our invention retains to the fullest possible degreethe cheapness and flexibility of the usual construction; and thattherefore the advan-; tages we have enumerated are attained without acommensurate increase in cost or a sacrifice of any of the advantages ofthe usual construction.

Other advanta es of our invention will be evident to those s illed inthe art, and there fore need not be herein more specifically set forth.

The invention consists in the novel parts, and in'the combinations andarrangements thereof, which are defined in the appended claims; and ofwhich one embodiment is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, whichare hereinafter particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description, the same reference number is applied to thesame member or to similar members. The sections in all cases are viewedin the direction shown by the arrows.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dipper and dipper-handle, showing ourimproved handle-end casting in place, certain of the details beingomitted.

Figure 2 IS a side elevation of the dipper handle-end casting on anenlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a front view of the same.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan of the same.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the rear end of the casting, asindicated at 55 in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a sectional view, taken at 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a section, taken at 7- 7 in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a section, taken at 8-8 in Figure 1.

A dipper 1 is carried by the dlpperhandle 2, said dipper-handlecomprising two parallel dipper-sticks, one of which is shown in detailedcross-section in Figure '7. This is the conventional cross-section ofdippersticks of this class, regardless whether or not our invention isemployed. Each dipper-stick consists of a wooden core 3, of rectangularcross-section, and bears a top plate 4, two side plates 5, 5, and abottom plate 6. These four plates extend the entire length of the woodencore 3, and are standard rolled-steel lates. Below the bottom plate andextending, as shown in Figure 1, from a point near the rear end of thedipper-stick forwardly part way towards the dipper, is a rack-plate 7having a rack 8 integrally cast therewith for engagement with theshipper-shaft pinion (not shown), to perform the thrusting operations ofthe dipper. At intervals along the length of the core 3, these fiveplates, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, are transversely vbolted to the core and to eachother by bolts 9, as shown in Figure 7. As is shown in this figure thereis a small clearance between the side plates 5 and the bottom plate 6,to allow the full utilization of the resiliency of the wooden core 3 andto compensate for any slight irregularities in the plates. The forwardend of the rackplate 7 is provided, as shown in Fi re 1, with a verticalflange 10, the function of which is hereinafter explained. At the rearend of the handle, the usual dipper-handle stop 11, which prevents thehandle from running out too far, is attached to the bottom of eachdipper-stick.

The handle-end casting 12, shown in place in Figure 1 and separately inFigures 2, 3, 4, comprises in its central portion a torsionbox 13, whichis cylindrical in form, as shown in Figure 2 by. the dotted circularsection 14. The torsion-box 13 is provided with internal longitudinalstiffening flanges 15, shown in Figures 2 and 3; but, to avoid confusingdetail, omitted from other figures.

The end faces of the cylindrical torsionbox 13 are integrally casttherewith, and are prolonged to the trapezoidal form 16 shown in Fi 'ure2. External flanges 17 are also supplied to brace the torsion-box 13 andthe trapezoidal late 16. The lower ed e of each of the aces 16 bears anoutward y extending flange 18 which is provided with bolt-holes 19, theflange being reinforced on its under side by bosses 20 at certain ofsaid bolt-holes. Throu h these bolt-holes and through'similarly isposedbolt-holes-in the dipper-sticks 3, there pass bolts 21 provided withnuts 22 and lock-nuts 23, as shown in the upper end of this flange thereis a for wardly extending'flange 28, to which the neeaeso Figure 8. Thedipper-sticks 3 are further bolted to the handle-end casting bya bolt29, extending transversel through both di per-sticks and longitudlnallythrough t e torsion-box, said bolt. being provided at each end with anut 30 and a lock-nut 31. Figure 2 shows a plurality of bolt-holes inthe trapezoidal member 16, by means of which the adjacent dipper-stickis bolted to the face 16 in a manner which will be readil understood;though, for the sake of avoi ing confusing details, said last-namedbolts are not shown in the figures. These bolts together with the bolts21 and 29 hold the dipper-sticks rigidly in place with respect to thehandle-end casting. 'At each side, between the casting and the adjacentside plate of the dipper stick, is a reinforcing plate 24.

The rearward end of the bottom flange 18 is prolonged downwardly into avertical flange 25, which abuts the similar flange 10 at the forward endof the rack-plate 7. These flanges 25 and 10, are secured together bytension bolts 26 as shown in Figurel. These flanges will directlytransmit the stress in thrust and the tension bolts holds them firmly incontact in retraction of the dipper.

An outwardly extending end-flange 27, perpendicular to the side plate 16and to the bottom flange 18, serves for abutment of the forward end ofthe dipper-stick. At

top-plate 4 of the dipper-stick is secured byth bolts 28, which are.made of large size to Withstand shear; Or, if preferred, they may besurrounded by shear plugs.

At the top of the center of the torsion-box are two transverseexternal'fianges 32, bearing a bumper plate 33 which is slightlyinclined rearwardly as shown in Figure 2. Upon this plate rest a bumper34 of wood,

being fastened thereto by straps 35, which cover those edges of thebumper which are parallel to the dipper-sticks; said straps beingextended down the front and rear endfaces of the bumper andbumper-plate. These straps are secured to the bumperplate in any mannerthat will firmly hold the bumper while at the same time allowing easyremoval and replacement. Such a means may, for example,be by bolts 36going through the strap, bumper and bumperplate. The resiliency of thebumper prevents breakage of the boom-point sheave when the dipper israised to its extreme lift.

From the bottom of the torsion-box 13, at the center thereof, depends alug 37 hav ing an eye 38. At one side of the casting depends a similarlug 39 having an eye '40.

These eyes, 38 and 40, are aligned to serveas bearings for a trip-shaft(not shown), which bears upon its inner end adjacent the lug 37, a leveror other device (not shown), for pulling the chain or other means forunlatching the dipper-door. The outer end of this shaft, adjacent thelug 39 bears a lever (not shown) for the purpose of rotating thetrip-shaft.

Adjacent each end of the torsion-box and at the top thereof, there are apair of lugs 41, each provided with an eye'42. Figure 1 shows theback-braces 43, which are pinconnected through these eyes 42. Thebackbraces are adjustable as to length by being each providedwith'several points of possible connection .with the back-brace lugs 41.If desired, back-braces may be provided in easily substitutable-sets ofdifi'erent lengths; or other means of adjustment may be employed.

At the junction of each trapezoidal endpiece 16 of the torsion-box withits bottom flanges 18 and itsend flange 27,'there is a forwardly anddownwardly projecting lug 44, provided with an eye 45. These serve forconnecting the dipper 1 with the handle-end casting 12, as shown inFigure 1.

It is to be noted that all those parts shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4,except the bumper 34, the straps 35 and bolts 36, form one in tegralcasting.

Although the foregoing. exemplifies one embodiment of our invention, wedo not intend to limit ourselves to the particular disclosure, butintend to avail ourselves o a all equivalents.

We claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: a boom;adipper-handle, comprising a pair of dipper-sticks, and be ing mounted onthe boom for rotation about and reciprocation with'respect to a point onsaid boom; each stick including an upper late and a rack a diggingdipper carried y said handle; back-braces for said dipper; a boom-pointsheave mounted on said boom; tripping apparatus for said dipper; and asingle casting, serving as a torsion-box, a

connection for the two sticks, and a dipper support; said casting havinglugs for attachment to the dipper, lugs for attachment of theback-braces and lugs for supporting the tripping apparatus, and beingrigidly bolted to each of said upper plates by means of a flanged joint,and to each of said racks by means of abutting flanges, and carrying abumper of resilient material for contact with said boom-point sheave.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: a boom; adipper-handle, comprising a pair of dipper-sticks, and being mounted onthe boom for rotation about and reciprocation with respect to a point onsaid boom; e'achstick including an upper plate and a rack; a diggingdipper carried by said handle; back-braces for said dipper; a boom-pointsheave mounted on said boom;

tripping apparatus for said dipper; and a single casting, serving as atorsion-box, a connection for the two sticks, and a dipper support; saidcasting having means for supporting the dipper and means for supportingthe tripping apparatus, and being 'rigidly bolted to the upper plate andthe rack by means of flanged joints, and carryinga bumper of resilientmaterial for contact with said boom-point sheave. Y

3. In a .machineof the class described, the combination of: a boom; apair of dippersticks, mounted thereon for rotation aboutandreciprocation with respect tov a point on said boom; each stickincluding an upper plate and a rack; a digging dipper carried by saidsticks; and a single casting, serving as a torsion-box, a connection forthe two sticks, and a dipper support; said casting having uppen'andlower sets of lugs for supporting said dipper, and being directly andrigidly connected to the upper plate and to the rack.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: a pair ofdipper-sticks; eacn stick including an upper plate and a rack; a diggingdipper carried by said sticks; and a single handle-end casting; saidcasting having means for supporting said dipper, and being directly andrigidly connected to the upper plate and to the rack.

5. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of: a pair of dipper-sticks;

each stick including an upper and a lower plate; a digging dippercarried by said sticks; and a single handle-end casting; said castinghaving means for supporting said dipper, and being directly and rigidlyconnected to the upper and to the lower plate.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: a boom;dipper holding means mounted thereon; a diggin dipper held by saidmeans, a boom-point 5 leave mounted on said boom; and a bumper ofresilient material, mounted on said means for contactwith saidboom-point sheave.

7'. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: dipperholding means; a digging dipper held by said means; and a bumper ofresilient material, mounted on said means.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of: a pair ofdipper-sticks; a digging dipper carried by said sticks; a handle-endcasting; and a torsion-box integral with said casting; said torsion-boxhaving its dimension longitudinal of the dipper-sticks substantiallyless than the longitudinal dimension of the rest of the castmg.

9. In a machine of the class described: a handle-end torsion-box ofhollow cylindrical form, reinforced with internal ribs extendingparallel to the axis of the cylinder.

10. In a machine of the class described; a handle-end torsion-box ofhollow cylindrical form, reinforced with ribs extending parallel totheaxis of the cylinder.

11. In a machine of the class described: a handle-end torsion-box ofcylindrical form.

WILLIAM M. BAGER. WERNER LEHMAN.

